Trump Put Musk on Phone With Zelensky During Call President-elect Donald Trump spoke Wednesday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and during the call he handed the phone to Elon Musk, the increasingly influential billionaire who has played a key role in providing communications capacity to Ukraine in its war with Russia, according to a person familiar with the discussion.
It was not immediately clear whether the three men discussed any change in U.S. policy toward Ukraine in the wake of Trump’s election. Musk was with Trump at Mar-a-Lago, his private club and residence in Florida, and the tone of the call was described as positive, according to the person familiar with the discussion.
Trump Put Musk on Phone With Zelensky During Call
A second person familiar with the call confirmed Mr. Musk’s participation, which Axios previously reported.
A third person familiar with the call described it as a “good conversation,” saying Mr. Zelensky called Mr. Trump to congratulate him, and that when Mr. Trump handed the phone to Mr. Musk, Mr. Zelensky thanked him for his help in making the call.
A spokesman for Trump did not immediately comment on the call.
Trump has promised to end the conflict quickly, a stance widely seen as allowing Russia to retain territory it has seized since invading Ukraine in 2022. During a presidential debate, Trump declined to say which side he wanted to see win the war, and noted that Zelensky had received a lot of military and financial aid from the Biden administration.
Mr. Musk, who has grown close to Mr. Trump in recent months and has provided him with financial and logistical support in the presidential campaign, as well as full-throated support on his social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, has been a vital resource for the Ukrainian war effort through its Starlink satellite communications network.
Mr. Musk is a major contractor for the U.S. government, especially the Defense Department, which relies heavily on SpaceX for launch capacity. He has already sought to put some of his employees in government jobs when Mr. Trump takes office, and Mr. Trump has said he wants Mr. Musk to take a role in recommending ways to cut government spending.
After Mr. Trump was declared the winner of the presidential race early Wednesday, Mr. Zelensky urged Mr. Trump to help bolster Ukraine against Russian aggression. “For us in Ukraine, and throughout Europe, it has always been of paramount importance to hear the words of the then 45th President of the United States about ‘peace through strength,’” Mr. Zelensky wrote on social media. “When this principle becomes the policy of the 47th President, America and the entire world will undoubtedly benefit.”
“It’s no coincidence that Ronald Reagan is mentioned so often these days — people want confidence, they want freedom, they want a normal life. And for us, that means a life free from Russian aggression, with a strong America, a strong Ukraine, and strong allies,” Zelensky added.
The conversation with Mr. Zelensky was one of dozens the president-elect has had with foreign leaders in recent days.
Trump also spoke with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, apparently on the same day as the call with Mr. Zelensky. Mr. Erdogan told reporters that during the conversation, Mr. Trump was having dinner with Mr. Musk.
While this was the first time Mr. Musk had joined a phone call between Mr. Trump and Mr. Zelensky, he has spoken to the Ukrainian leader on at least two occasions during the war, according to Iulia Mendel, Mr. Zelensky’s former spokeswoman.
Ms. Mendel, who worked in the Ukrainian presidential administration before the Russian invasion nearly three years ago, said she helped organize two calls between Mr. Musk and Mr. Zelensky in March 2022, about two weeks after the Russian invasion.
Ms. Mendel said an acquaintance of Mr. Musk reached out to her in early March, asking her to help arrange the call. She said the Ukrainian leader was interested in helping Mr. Musk open negotiations with the Kremlin. In particular, she said, during one call Mr. Zelensky asked Mr. Musk to help secure a deal with Moscow to open a humanitarian corridor to evacuate civilians trapped in the besieged Ukrainian city of Mariupol.
It is not known whether Mr. Musk spoke to the Kremlin after his two calls with Mr. Zelensky.
Andrew E. Kramer and Constant Mihaut contributed reporting.
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